Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gahlot asked the four States, taking part in the Regional Conference of Ministry of Social Welfare here on Thursday, to expedite identification of land so that new schemes could be given to them. Review of the different schemes related to the welfare of ST, SC and OBCs was done during the conference taken by the social ministries of four states – Jharkand, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal.
Ministers of State of the Union Government Ramdas Atthawale and Krishnapal Gujjar were also present during the meeting along with the officials of the department.
“It was a review meeting where various schemes related to the welfare of ST, SC and OBC was done and the states were asked to implement them in a proper and effective way,” said Social Welfare Minister of Jharkhand louis Marandi. Suggestions related to the implementation of schemes were also sought during the Conference, she added.
Marandi said that the Union Minister also expressed concern over the pending projects due to land related conflicts and directed all the four states to tell the centre and make fresh proposals.
“I reiterated my demand of SC hostel in Ranchi for the children preparing for various competitive examinations and a separate OBC hostel in Dumka for both boys and girls as there is no hostel for the particular community,” said the minister. In order to avoid any kind of confusion, the whole machinery of the Union Ministry was present during the Conference, she added.
“The focus basically during the meeting was to simplify the implementation of schemes,” she said. All the States were also told to expedite the implementation of projects related to the ministry, she added.
Marandi said that the Union Minister also took stock of the progress of the schemes related to Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana and also looked into the technical aspects of the projects being conducted in the four states.
“The Union Minister also inquired whether the ST, SC or the OBC were getting scholarships or not and also asked whether they were linked with Aadhar or not,” she said. He also directed the States to take Atrocities Act seriously and implement the provisions under the new Act, added the minister.
later talking to the media after the conference, the minister of State also informed that the centre has increased the fund from Rs 14000 crore to Rs 52000 crore for the ministry and expressed concern over the politics being done over the atrocities on dalits. He said that additional SPs in the affected districts should be appointed to ensure their safety and security.